Losing weight is a challenging task. While there are many ways to achieve weight loss, like sticking to a strict diet and exercising regularly, the process itself must be sustainable. CTV News reports weight loss that is unsustainable—such as highly-restrictive keto diets—are unhealthy. In fact, these even cause fast weight regain because these just do not work well for the body. While there may be weight loss results, in the beginning, long-term practice will bring more harm than good.
Fortunately, there is one way you can achieve sustainable weight loss: by tracking your heart rate variability (HRV). In this article, we will discuss how it aids both diet and exercise for weight loss.
How HRV Helps With Diet
No single body is the same. Each one has unique characteristics and needs, which is why WeightWatchers believes that weight loss programs must be personalized. By choosing to listen to your body’s needs and responses, you create a weight loss process that actually works and lasts. Not only is this healthier, but it also ensures that your efforts are not put to waste.
Our article ‘How to Improve Your HRV with the Right Diet’ notes that HRV can tell you what diet is suitable for you. HRV measures the time difference between heartbeats, and the higher intervals are, it means the healthier you are. As such, it serves as an indicator of a person’s health.
When trying a new food or diet, calculate your HRV 30 minutes before eating and 60 minutes after. This can be done with a wearable device such as a smartwatch or our AIO Smart Sleeve and App. For example, if you’re trying out intermittent fasting for weight loss, a decrease in HRV will mean that the diet is unsuitable or unhealthy for your body. Therefore, you can try other diets that will prove to be healthy and sustainable for you.
How HRV Helps With Exercise
Weight loss involves consistent exercise. However, how and when do you know if you’re overworking yourself to the point of exhaustion and health risks? Besides, overtraining can increase your body’s production of stress hormones, which can hinder weight loss as it alters your mood, appetite, and sleep.
To this end, The Globe and Mail highlight HRV’s role in determining the body’s readiness for physical activity. A high HRV at the start of the day suggests that your body has recovered from yesterday’s activities, meaning it’s safe for you to work out. On the contrary, a low HRV implies that you’re not fully ready for more movement.
Additionally, HRV-guided workouts have been found to reduce unsuccessful training sessions due to inadequate recovery time. By monitoring your HRV, you’ll know when it’s safe and effective to exercise, creating a sustainable weight loss journey. After all, overworking your body will only lead to health hazards and an ineffective (and possibly longer) weight loss process.
HRV is useful in monitoring your overall health. What’s great is that this technology has proven to be useful in sustainable weight loss. We here at Komodo Technologies believe that technology and innovation, such as wearable HRV devices, are crucial in maintaining health. With this article, may you have a safer and more sustainable journey to losing weight.